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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. file — a tool
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. race — the arms race
  8. root — of a word
  9. object — an aim
  10. race — a contest
  11. root — the cause
  12. club — for dancing
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. club — a group
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. root — of a plant
  18. club — for golf
  19. object — a thing
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. race — humankind
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. object — to protest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com